I forget almost everything I read the first time. Even when I’m taking diligent notes, my memory fails to retain the material, and almost all of what I previously read, is lost. It’s only when I circle back later, rereading my notes, do I remember the content. Schopenhauer once said that “repetition is the mother of study,” but for a long time, I was so egotistical, believing that my brain would naturally remember everything on the first go. I needed a system to not only retain what I read, but make it easy to retrieve what I was looking for when I needed it. Whether for my writing practice or ..read more

Whether we’re in the midst of training for a race or just going about our normal lives, sustaining an injury can be one of the most agonizing experiences we endure—especially for athletes. Injuries shatter our plans, sabotage our goals, and can even hinder our ability to live a normal life. Even when we’re not in constant pain, the awareness of the injury lingers at the back of our minds, haunting us as soon as we take the first steps out of bed in the morning. As my friend so aptly put, injuries are like luggage; we carry them with us everywhere we go. After returning from a month-long trip t ..read more

After 6 years, 10 months, and 28 days of running every day, I made the difficult decision to throw in the towel and end my run streak. Over the past +6 years of running, I’ve considered myself lucky. Running-related injuries were few and far between for me, aside from a hip flexor strain here and a rolled ankle there. Most of my self-inflicted injuries were caused by random exercises that put too much demand on my lower body, like weighted calf raises or quad extensions. The injury would start as a niggle that would overextend its welcome, worsening as the days progressed. Despite this pain, I ..read more

I just hit the 3 year mark of sobriety, but it didn’t feel like an accomplishment. In fact, I didn’t feel anything. Just 5 years ago, taking a full month off drinking was a cause for celebration. I’d give myself a proverbial pat on the back for my unwavering self-discipline and willpower. Drinking was something I felt like I couldn’t live without. It was woven into the fabric of my social life, family gatherings, dinners out, and even at home—no romantic dinner was complete without a glass of wine (or three). I believed that by not drinking, I was making a serious sacrifice and missing out on ..read more

After yet another crap workout, I walked through the door an immediately  told my girlfriend that I think I’m really burnt out. I thought the weeks of consistent fatigue combined with my blasé attitude towards doing the activities I love was caused by bad sleep or the time of year. It took me a while to realize that the compounding of the year’s efforts and the culmination of stress were starting to take a toll—manifesting in what felt like chronic low energy.  Whenever things aren’t going well, instead of taking a step back and figuring out what might be causing it, I tend to go mor ..read more

The true test of a [person’s] character is what [they do] when no one is watching.—John Wooden If there was no one to share your art with would you still make art? Would you still workout consistently if there was no one to witness your workouts? How much do you rely on external validation to fuel your efforts? Over the last few months, I haven’t been sharing as much via my blog, medium, or social media because I’ve been focusing more on longer form, heavily researched content, and fun little creative projects for myself. The type of writing I want to do now is changing from the past few yea ..read more

On May 15, 1813, a revolutionary thinker, writer, and intellectual heavy weight was born. Sadly, this budding young intellectual entered a family marked by a series of unfortunate events. His father Michael, bore a heavy burden of despair and melancholy, which had a lasting impression on the young Søren Kierkegaard. Michael was a deeply religious man, and he believed the family was doomed to a lifetime of misery due to what he considered a taboo mistake he made in his youth: he cursed God.  While I know this might sound like a hyperbole, his dad wasn’t joking when ..read more

4 years ago, I was driving along Toronto’s lakeshore, on route to a cafe in the west end. As I drove, I took inventory of all the questions I wanted to ask when I sat down with an ultrarunner who was kind enough to meet with me. I was now a month away from the biggest race of my life—a 100-miler in Haliburton, ON. Not only was it the longest distance I’ve ever tackled, but it was also a trail race—terrain that was a foreign concept to a long time road runner like me. I was a bit early arriving at the cafe, so ordered us some coffee and shortly after, Melanie Boultbee walked through the do ..read more

The times in my life where I’ve made the biggest shifts in my body composition were during periods of emotional turmoil, often triggered by a break-up. These situations made me feel powerless, out of control, where my emotions ran rampant. I needed a way to channel all this pent up anger, resentment, and sadness. In addition to leaning on my friends and social circle for support, my go-to crutch was fitness. However it wasn’t primarily about using fitness to process these negative emotions; it was more about exerting control by restricting my caloric intake and working out excessively. Instead ..read more

This month, I’m starting to revisit some familiar reads—rereading specific books and oeuvres that I’ve read over the last few years, starting with one of my all time favourite books: Mastery by Robert Greene. While I’m still incorporating a majority of new reads into my monthly book rolodex, my goal for the next several months is to revisit an old book flame every few months. The criteria for my reread inclusions are: books that have had a big influence on me during a specific point in my life; a ‘paradigm-shifter’; one that has shaken up my long held beliefs. A perspective that, as Rick ..read more